Under the Seventh Moon
by Tink22
Summary: With a screech, she fell to the ground, thorns having caught onto her ankle. She cried out from the pain, but her cries were overpowered by a mirthless cackle.She had stopped, the witch was coming.
1. To Epson6

Hello, this is an idea I've been developing for months, and I've finally gotten the first chapter the way I wanted it. I have the entire story pretty much mapped out at this point, so this story will probably be updated fairly often. Hope you guys enjoy!

XXX

A young girl, barely five years of age, stood at the top of her ordinary apartment complex's roof. Paradoxically, there was absolutely nothing ordinary about the silver haired child. A voice had lured her from the comfort of her dreams, and out into the harsh winter night.

"_I'm waiting for you Serena."_, it had called to her.

She had quickly scampered out of her bedroom window, her sense of adventure drowning out her fears. Her eyes had widened slightly in comprehension when she realised that the soothing soprano voice was coming from above.

Gingerly, she set one tiny foot in front of her, and then the other, going very slowly to avoid falling off the five story building. The wind blew past her, and she had to squint against it. She could still see her destination ahead of her. It was not a person, but an orb of red light.

She giggled with wonder as she took in the warm light, "I'm here now", she whispered.

The light flickered once and the same disembodied voice emanated from within, "_You must follow me darling.", _It said before darting up into the night sky.

Serena gasped, "No! Wait for me!", she jumped after it.

Her scream pierced the night sky as she realised she was not floating towards the light, but rather freefalling.

The ground was rushing up to her so fast that she didn't even have time to cry over what her young mind knew would happen. She closed her eyes, as if the simple action would ease the pain. The small girl felt the ground beneath her body, but the agony she had expected was not present. Slowly cracking her eyes open, she saw that she was engulfed in silver light.

In a split second, it was gone, leaving the bewildered child sitting in the snow at the front door of her building.

XXX

There was a light tap on her bedroom door, followed by the appearance of a soft face framed in blonde waves, "May I come in sweetheart?", Eileen Verity asked her only daughter.

Serena smiled and nodded in the affirmative whilst sitting up on her bed. "Did you finish your packing?", Eileen inquired with the quirk of a perfectly arched eyebrow as she made her way over to the young woman and took a seat beside her.

"Yeah, all done.", she pointed to a fist-sized glass cube sitting on the corner of her stainless steel desk, the matter-compacter 6000, which contained everything one would need were they leaving home for several months.

Eileen smiled, "Of course.", she shook her head amusedly, "You're always on top of things, aren't you?"

Serena mustered a laugh, but the usual twinkle in her eyes was noticeably absent, "You've taught me well I suppose."

Eileen looked her daughter over sceptically and then let out a resigned sigh, "Serena," she started as she took one of the girl's hands in her own, "I know this will be hard for you, but it's only for a little while."

Serena swallowed hard, "I know mom, I'll be fine."

Eileen gave her daughter an encouraging smile, "You need this experience sweetheart .", she smiled and stood up, "Your father thinks you could have a wonderful time on Epson6 ."

Before Serena could answer, her mother was out the door.

_Yeah, wonderful_.

XXX

_The trees whipped past her in a blur. Her legs burned in protest, but she dared not stop. The witch was coming. The billowing branches latched on to her stray hairs, ripping them out. The wind lashed against her face, but she dared not stop. The witch was coming. She could feel her bare feet bleed from the numerous cuts they had sustained, she could feel the wet mud seep between her toes . With a screech, she fell to the ground, thorns having caught onto her ankle. She cried out from the pain, but her cries were overpowered by a mirthless cackle._

_She had stopped, the witch was coming._

Serena woke up with a gasp, her breathing was laboured, coming out in short breaths. She clutched at her racing heart, and thought for one petrifying moment that she would go into shock. Bolting upwards, she discovered that she was drenched in sweat. She closed her eyes in an effort to clear her mind and calm herself, but it was in vain. Vivid images of her nightmare appeared. She had never experienced a dream so real. Serena could practically still smell the aroma of the trees mingling with the wet mud. She shivered, she had been running as if her life were in jeopardy.

_The witch._

Never had a faceless, seemingly meaningless, entity inspired so much fear within her. _It was just a dream, nothing more_, Serena thought to herself in a bid to calm dawn. She ran a hand through her bangs, wiping away the perspiration, and exhaled slowly. _Just a dream, _she reinforced.

Suddenly, her right ankle started to burn with an intensity she had never felt before, it was as if magma had been thrown onto it. Serena's mouth opened, but the scream died on the tip of her tongue. She stared down at the leg she was clutching, and the source of the burn revealed itself. A tattoo was etching itself across the offending ankle. Intricate vines swirled about, wrapping themselves around. Serena cringed from the pain but dared not cry out. With a final jolt of pain, thorns jetted themselves out of the vines.

_The thorns from my dream...the ones that tripped me,_ Serena thought, her eyes widened in horror, _but it was a dream!_

The thorns stopped burning and glowed, a drop of blood broke the surface of her milky white skin.

Suddenly she wasn't so sure anymore.

XXX

Serena never fell back asleep. Every time she would drift off, her ankle would burn and she'd be reminded of what awaited her in the realm of her dreams. She hadn't mentioned anything to her parents. Serena greatly feared their reaction. What if they thought her to be crazy? Things like these simply didn't happen. She had tried over and over again to brush off the occurrence, hoping that the tattoo would simply go away. She broke down into tears when it didn't.

What scared Serena the most was that she had no idea how to explain what had happened. It was all so surreal, so _paranormal_.

After what had happened to her as a young girl, her parents had always been a tad reluctant to believe her. They had accused her of lying, reasoning that it would not be possible for her to have fallen five stories without a scratch. Serena admitted that they were correct in doubting her, for her only recollection of the incident was of intense lights. However, she knew they were wrong. Something had happened that night.

She was currently staring out the hover transporter's window. It was pouring rain outside and the sky was darkened by the swirling turquoise storm clouds, her home world's trademark. This did nothing to ease Serena's mind. She had always hated the rain, it made everything so eerie. However, she had always found reassurance in rationality. It was _rain_, it rained nearly every single day, what could happen?

But now...she questioned everything.

Serena squinted in an effort to see past the sheet of water covering the window; nothing but glistening structures and highway. They had set out for the Interstellar Transit Port a few minutes prior, where Serena would be shipped off for Viken23's closest star system. She sighed and turned her attention back to the movie she had been pretending to watch on her visor.

"Yo, space cadet! What's wrong with you?", her younger brother inquired with a poke to her ribs.

Serena rolled her eyes at him, she was in no mood for his antics, "Nothing Sammy. Just play your little Dchip and leave me alone.", she hissed back to him.

Instead of going back to his holographic game, Sammy simply smirked at her and shook his mother's headrest, "Mom! Serena's being mean to me again, I think she has PMS."

Serena went red in the face, _He's a 10 year old boy, as if he even knows what that means!_

Ken coughed uncomfortably at the mention of his daughter's menstrual cycle; there were things fathers just _didn't _need to know. Eileen turned around, speaking the words she had uttered so many times in the past, "Behave you two!", she then turned back to her husband, "Darling, perhaps you could flick that switch? You know dear, the one that makes the craft go faster? The kids are getting restless."

Serena was about to protest when her father flipped the smallest of the switches on the dash, sending the hovercraft into turbo drive.

Her nails digging into her seat, Serena fought to keep in the bile that had risen into her throat. She always got sick from going into turbo. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on her breathing. During a particularly long exhale, the craft jerked to a stop, jarring the passengers.

Ken chuckled, "Sorry about that. At least I got us here eh?", he grinned as he sheepishly ran a hand through his short greying hair and nodded towards his window.

Indeed, they were now stationed outside the gate of the Interstellar Transit Port. As much as every building looked quite similar on Vicken23, all tall and glistening, the ITP was truly a sight to behold. It was composed of two parts, the common area where people from all over said their goodbyes to loved ones, excitedly bounding off in search of adventure, and the launching area which all passengers shuttled to in order to board one of the many ships that were docked. What truly set apart the ITP was the launching area itself. In a world where everything was silver, the massive spherical compound was completely golden. Some compared it to the sun that kept the small planet alive. Truly, it was the center of the economy, being one of the main transit ports in the colonised universe. Multiple ships docked all around the sphere.

Serena's father lowered their small hovercraft to the ground. The family got out and made their way inside the ITP's first building.

Once through the doors, the room was made up mostly of glass and steel. Multiple computer interfaces were set up around the room, where some people were purchasing last minute tickets, and others were looking for information on their destination.

Serena felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned towards it, her icy blue eyes clashing with her mother's hazel ones. Serena's adoption had never been kept a secret from the girl, it couldn't possibly be. There was simply no fathomable way Serena could be related to the Verities by blood. Her pale silver hair and fair skin contrasted greatly with the rest of the small clan's dark looks.

Eileen offered her daughter one of her gentle smiles, "Well Serena, this is it.", she bent down slightly to kiss her upon both cheeks, her eyes slightly misted by unshed tears, "Your aunt Helen will be waiting for you on Epson6. Make sure to holocall us when you there, alright sweetheart?".

Serena nodded, indicating that she would do as her mother wished. Ken wrapped his arms around his daughter, giving her an awkward hug. He cleared his throat uneasily, "Yes, well, be careful. Don't talk to strangers, and, you know, no candy from them and all that."

"I know dad, I _am _eighteen.", she smiled.

"Later, loser", Sammy said without even looking up from his game, causing Serena to roll her eyes.

"_The Marsden, voyaging to Epson6 is now boarding. All passengers must please make their way towards the launch area."_, a robotic voice broadcasted over the intercom.

Serena forced a grin onto her face, trying so hard to make her parents believe she was excited for this trip, "Well, that's me!"

Her parents smiled, "We love you dear!", her mom called out as Serena started to make her way towards the shuttles that led towards the ITP's launch area.

"I love you too!", she called back, waving her goodbyes.

It was then, walking away from her family, that she realised that she was truly leaving. She wasn't going to see any of them for _months_. Tears made their way into her eyes and spilled over onto her pale cheeks. Her vision clouded, and she could barely see where she was going. She brought her hands to her eyes, and furiously rubbed the tears away.

Serena bumped into something hard, and then was unpleasantly socked with cold liquid. Opening her eyes, she saw that she had bumped into a kid, making him spill his orange soda all over her.

Realising that he now had no drink, the child started to cry. Serena cringed as a blush crept up her neck and across her face, as she was completely embarrassed. People were now starting to stare, and what was worse, they were sending her accusatory glances.

Trying to escape as fast as she could, Serena mumbled an apology and bolted into the nearest bathroom, away from the wails and dirty looks.

Once in the restroom, she glanced around, giving it a once over, "I guess the transit port isn't all sparkle and shine...", she muttered to herself. It wasn't what she had expected from the luxurious establishment at all. It was positively filthy.

The lights were obviously damaged, they flickered noisily. Most of the stalls had "out of order" signs taped messily across their doors, and the one that didn't was rusted out. Serena sighed, _Well, good thing I didn't have to go in the first place._

Serena made her way to the sinks and clouded mirror. The tap looked pretty clean, so she turned it on, hoping to wash her hands after having touched the stalls. She jumped back in surprise and let out a shriek as the water turned brown. "Well, not so unexpected, really.", she thought out loud as she placed a hand over her erratic heart. She reached over to the mirror and tried to wipe some of the grime off with the roll of paper towels she had found by the sinks. Once Serena had cleared a spot sufficiently large enough to be visible in, she looked herself over. She frowned as she took in her haggard appearance. Her exceedingly long, pale tresses lacked their usual bounce, her skin looked positively gray, and there was dark bruising under her eyes, evidence of her lack of sleep. She dabbed at the wet spot on her blue polo and tried to smooth down her travel worn jeans. Serena stopped when she got down to her right ankle. She pulled her hand away swiftly, as if she had been electrocuted. _Damn tattoo! ,_she cursed. She felt like crying as she thought of the normalcy which had been brutally swept out from under her. How could she get over what had happened last night?

Serena closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, _No use dwelling on it, nothing else has happened. It's probably nothing._ She tried, in vain, to soothe herself.

She took a steadying breath, and opened her eyes. Serena was making her way towards the exit when suddenly the lights went out. She gulped, never having been a fan of the dark. Serena tried to rationalise the situation, calmly telling herself that the lights _had_ been flickering and it had only been a matter of time until they went out. Shaking, she tried to feel her way to the door.

Serena was then thrown back by an unexplainable force. It propelled her against one of the stalls, knocking the wind out of her. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice. A pair of golden, cat-like eyes could be seen from the direction the sink had been in. Serena couldn't do anything but sit there, unable to get up because of the pressure pushing down on her, and let the tears fall.

Very quickly, yet not soon enough in Serena's opinion, the eyes vanished, as did the crippling pressure, and the lights turned back on. She didn't dare get up, too terrified to move, and did the only thing that seemed logical.

She screamed.

A few women rushed into the bathrooms, obviously alerted by the shrill screaming coming from within, to find the small girl sprawled out on the ground, her eyes clamped shut.

Serena felt someone pulling at her arm, and shaking her shoulders slightly, "Miss? Miss, what's wrong?"

Serena opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the find a short, frumpy looking woman with gray hair holding onto her. She quickly snapped out of her horrified trance, she noticed that she was not at all where she had thought herself to be.

Gone were the rusted out stalls and grimy sinks, all replaced with stainless steel sinks and crystal clear mirrors. Serena gulped; she couldn't have just _imagined _all that, could she?

Behind the woman crouched beside her was a tall blonde woman holding her child by the hand. The little girl looked positively frightened as she looked up to her mother, who was equally wide eyed, "Mommy? What's wrong with the lady?"

The woman placed a hand over her daughter's mouth, "Hush, not now baby.", and with a pitying smile sent Serena's way, left the gleaming bathroom.

She shook her head, as if to clear up the fog in her brain, "There was a rat.", she managed weakly.

The plump woman raised an eyebrow, "It knocked you down?", she asked, her voice dripping in scepticism.

Serena faked a sheepish smile, "I slipped"

The woman cocked an eyebrow, "I see."

She wrapped an arm around Serena's waist in order to hoist her up from the ground. Serena, feeling completely embarrassed, muttered her thanks and hurriedly exited the bathroom; she had a flight to catch.

XXX

Although she had experienced it twice in the past, cryogenic freezing had always scared her. Serena had never been comfortable with relinquishing all control over herself for such lengthy periods. Cryo sleep was pretty much the equivalent of a coma, or "a very long nap" as the flight crew constantly explained to the children. However bizarre, it was a necessary process. The travel time from Vicken23 to Epson6 clocked in at around two and a half weeks.

Cryogenic pods lined the interior of the massive passenger bay within _The Marsden_. As far as she knew the ship had already taken off, and Serena had settled into the pod designated by her flight ticket, number 22. She nervously waited for a member of the crew to come by and start the cryostasis.

She gulped as she thought of what was to come. First, a numbing cold would spread throughout the pod, slowing down her bodily functions to a crawl. Once every part of her was operating at a minimum, she would quickly nod off, and would be left to pray that the oxygen pump attached to the pod didn't malfunction. Although cryo deaths were a rarity, they were not unheard of.

A tall, handsome crew member who seemed to be in his mid thirties came over to her pod. Serena felt her cheeks grow hot as he unabashedly stared at her for a little longer than was necessary. She was used to it, her appearance being less than common.

He cracked a grin, "Hello, my name is Riley. Do you have any questions about the cryostasis?", he asked good naturedly.

Serena shook her head from side to side; she had researched the entire process years ago. In fact, it was highly probably that she knew more about the process than even he.

Riley busied himself with the pod's settings, his grin never faltering, "Everything seems to be in order, you are set to be woken up in sixteen days.", he closed the pod's clear hatch, muffling his voice.

"Good night Sleeping Beauty", he winked as the final button was pressed.

Serena felt the cold swirl in and around her, slowing her breathing, and making her feel impossibly heavy. Her lids started to slowly drift closed.

She was vaguely aware of the pod suddenly quaking, of red lights flashing, and of distant sirens. Serena knew something was dreadfully wrong, yet she had neither the will, nor the energy to do anything. The last image that registered in her brain was of Riley's good looking features contorted in horror as he was thrown across the bay.

It was too late to react, she'd react in sixteen days.

XXX

Please review!


	2. The man of her Dreams

Hello! I'd like to thank the reviewers from the last chapter, your words were very much appreciated =). I know this chapter is shorter than the other one, and in future I will try to make them a bit longer. The length is due to the fact that I haven't had much time to write, but I still wanted to get something out to the readers. Hope you enjoy!

XXX

_She sat on the biggest bolder, her feet dipping slightly into the tide as it lapped at the rock's edge. Her silver hair whipped all around her, caught up in the sea breeze. She stared out towards the ocean, the twinkling stars providing the only light around her. A sense of loss weighed heavily on her, almost crippling her with its pressure. Her eyes lingered on the gash she had sustained on her arm. She shut them, suppressing the memories, the pain that was all too fresh. But she couldn't have known...she couldn't have predicted..._

_The sound of footsteps broke her melancholy musings; he had come looking for her. He stepped out from the shadows, the light of the moon bouncing off his raven black hair. He came close to her, so close his breath tickled her face. He spoke, yet she couldn't make anything out. She might have answered, yet she might not have. Suddenly his lips were on hers, and it didn't matter. _

XXX

Pain. There was incredible pain. Serena groaned as the cold left her pod and each muscle was finally made to feel the strain which had been inflicted on them. However, this was more than post-cryo stiffness. She whimpered slightly as a burning sensation took her over, engulfing her senses. Suddenly, memories broke through the fog in her mind; lights, screams, quaking...

Her eyes snapped open as she darted upwards, roughly pushing the top of the pod open. Serena's scream pierced through the silence as her disbelieving eyes took in the scene before her. The shell of _The Marsden_ had been broken and large parts of the bay were exposed. Bodies lay strewn across the floor, blood which had crusted over with time surrounding them. Cryo pods scattered the massive area, and Serena had to place a hand over her mouth to muffle the shriek of surprise when she noticed that the bodies were completely preserved, having been frozen in time. In fact, had they not been dislodged from the oxygen tanks, they might have stood a chance.

Bewildered, she noticed that her pod had been the only one left unaffected, the only thing left untouched in the sea of chaos before her. She shivered as she felt the dull burning of her ankle, she didn't understand this at all. She _hated _things she didn't understand. It was almost comical, all these puzzling phenomena occurring to a girl who had always prided herself on her rationality.

Shakily, she set one foot out of the pod, then the other. She stumbled, dizziness washing over her. Serena closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, she needed to get out of the passenger bay.

Slowly, she made her way towards the exit, gripping onto whatever she could while keeping her gaze trained off the bodies and debris. She didn't know what had happened, she wasn't sure she _wanted _to.

Once in the narrow hall, Serena searched for a sign, for anything that could indicate where the control room was. Trying to calm herself down, she had realised that common sense dictated that she would be able to find answers in that room. Serena knew the ship was no longer in space, the forest visible through the cracks in the hull confirmed it. It occurred to her that she could be absolutely anywhere, and that frightened her even more than all the gore.

After what seemed like ages of scouring the long, metal halls- all of which looking exactly the same to her- , she stumbled upon what she was looking for. Serena noted that some of the corpses remained sitting in their chairs, indicating that whatever happened did so quite suddenly.

Her heart pounding, she busied herself with finding a navigational screen that was still intact and functioning. However, it was all in vain, everything had been shattered. Tears sprung to her eyes as the reality of the situation washed over her. Serena realised that she was on a planet she knew not the name or the whereabouts of, the only other occupants of the ship were _dead_, and that she had no fathomable way of finding her way home. She let out a cry full of anguish as she kicked a stray piece of debris across the room.

"Careful now, don't you think this ship has sustained enough damage?", a male voice sounded from behind her.

Whirling around, Serena came face to face with a middle aged man. His hair was slightly gray, reminding Serena of her father, and he had kind, yet tired eyes. Serena noticed that he was wearing a pilot's uniform. She fixed him with a wide eyed stare, too shocked to speak. Apparently, someone else had survived the crash. Had her brain been functioning properly, she would have been relieved. Although she was still utterly screwed, at least she wasn't completely alone anymore. Still, her lips remained sealed. He spoke, "We're on Terra, circumference, O2, and wildlife scans confirm it."

This made Serena gasp, and suddenly it seemed impossible to stay silent, "E-e-earth?", she stuttered.

"That is correct. You've heard of it I presume?"

She nodded dumbly, "But...we can't stay! We need to get off this planet immediately.", she panicked.

Serena had learnt all about Earth in her history classes. Once the beacon of civilisation, the people of Earth fell prey to their own greed. In the spring of 2250, about a century before Serena's birth, the two leading forces of the planet engaged in a nuclear war, killing most of the planet and its inhabitants. It was said that those who remained had gone insane, making Earth the subject of horror stories. The entire had been condemned, ships were allowed neither on nor off it.

The man shook his head, "I'm afraid there's no saving this ship. She won't fly."

Serena swallowed hard, trying to keep herself calm despite the horrible circumstances she was being faced with, "So...what do you propose we do?"

The man set his gaze beyond Serena, out the ship's front window. Outside, all that was visible was dense forest, obscured even more by the sheet of heavy rain that was pelting down from the sky. "We need to look for some sort of civilisation.", he replied and his shaky tone betrayed his calm demeanour.

The two shared a solemn look before making their way out of _The Marsden_, and out into the wilderness of the long condemned planet.

XXX

"Do you believe the stories?"

The man, Hunter, as he had introduced himself to Serena, considered the young woman's question, "To some extent yes. The human mind is fragile. If you had gone through what the inhabitants of this planet have, wouldn't you go a little wrong in the head?"

Serena nodded, truth be told she was scared to death. Hunter's answer had not been at all what she was looking for. She wanted to be comforted; she wanted to be told everything would be alright. Instead, there she was, trekking through the mud, with the renewed belief that it was simply a matter of time before something jumped out of the bushes and attacked her.

Hunter cleared his throat loudly, clearly about to break the uncomfortable silence and continue with their pitiful small talk. Serena really wished he wouldn't.

"So, what was bringing you to Epson6? Not much for a young woman such as yourself to do over there, yeah, the young crowd never seemed too interested in that hunk of rock..."

At that moment, Serena thought it was quite fortunate that she was walking behind him; it would not have done well for him to have seen the scathing look she sent his way. Technically, he was all she had, and it wouldn't do to go around picking fights. It was common sense. Serena took a deep breath and tried to answer the pilot as politely she could manage.

"I was going to go visit my aunt.", she bit out and then muttered to herself, "But I guess that's been postponed."

Hunter chuckled, "Parents wanted to unload you for the summer eh?"

Another scathing glance, she'd never tell him...never.

They both stopped in their tracks. Sounds could be heard coming from what Serena guessed was a few yards away. The hope that welled inside of her was quickly quashed by the crippling fear she had of the unknown. This place wasn't civilized, the inhabitants were most likely barbarians.

Hunter turned to her, his eyes reflecting her own emotions, "I'm going to try and get us some help, you hide in the bushes."

Serena swallowed hard, and did as she was told. She was thankful; as she had no desire of facing whatever it was that was coming their way. She briefly berated herself for acting like such a coward.

She ran to some nearby bushes, ones that were big enough to conceal her, and crouched behind them. The sounds were getting louder and louder. So was the thumping of Serena's heart. Peering through the bushes, she could see Hunter standing not so far off, idling around a tree, fidgeting slightly.

The wanderers then made their appearance. Coming through a few trees to the east were 4 of the ugliest creatures Serena had ever laid eyes upon. They were men, or at least used to be. Their skin had a greenish tinge to it, and was scaled and peeling off. They wore raggedy, torn clothing made of a rough fabric. From what Serena could tell, they also had beady yellow eyes.

Hunter spoke, gesturing wildly with his hands, in case the mutated humans couldn't understand him. His voice didn't carry all the way towards Serena, but she thought she could hear him explaining their situation.

The next series of events happened quite quickly, and Serena had little time to process it all before her legs acted of their own volition and carried her away. Blades, flesh, blood...so much blood.

Trees whipped past her in a mossy green blur, her lungs burnt from lack of oxygen. She needed to run, she needed to get away. These words became her personal mantra, hissing into her brain.

As she ran, she was reminded of her dream. It was such a similar seen; the trees, the wet mud, the rain, the sense of extreme emergency... Only this time there was no mysterious witch after her, this time there was a bloody sword with her name on it. Certain death.

As she threw a quick glance behind her in order to see if she was being followed, she collided into something hard. The impact sent her sprawling onto the mossy ground. One of her hands immediately went to grip at her leg, which she suspected had pulled. Looking up, she saw the cause of her fall. Serena nearly choked.

Standing above her, hair dripping, eyes narrowed, chest heaving, was the man from her dream.

_The one I..._her cheeks went crimson.

Without any words, the man crouched down, and offered her a hand. Serena gratefully took it and heaved herself up.

"Are you alright?", he asked in a gruff manner. She remained took shocked to talk.

He cocked an eyebrow, fixing her with a strange look, "Are you mute or something?"

Somehow, deep within her reverie, Serena was stirred by the instant reminder that she had been running for her life. Spontaneously, she grabbed his hand and resumed her sprint. He tried to resist, yet she kept going, not faltering for a second.

He yelled out, "What the hell? Where are we _going_?"

To this Serena had no answer, she had no clue where to go, "We're just running! I'm pretty sure they're after me!"

He halted immediately, sending her reeling backwards into him. He didn't flinch, "Who's after you?"

Serena panted, and started rambling, "I don't know! They were...human! But not...they killed hunter! I think they saw me run away...horrible...yellow eyes! The ugliest things I've ever seen...We have to _go!_"

Recognition seemed to don on him, but he was cut off by a sinister voice, "Hear that boys? The girl thinks we're ugly! Kinda rude ain't it?"

Amidst her panic, Serena saw the man beside her slide into a defensive pose. She gulped as she knew what this meant, there would be a fight.

"You know I don't think it's very nice to go around talking about people that way, just because we're different doesn't mean we're all that bad. You poor friend didn't understand this, and therefore he had an unfortunate run in with my blade."

The other three behind him chuckled, "I'm afraid I'm going to have to teach you two the same lesson." He pulled out his dagger, but before he even had time to raise it in the air, the man from Serena's dream had pounced on his and disarmed him, and proceeded to dig the blade into the mutant's own chest.

Seeing what had become of their _leader, _the other three ran off, muttering words of revenge.

To Serena's shock she thought she heard one of them say "The witch shall hear about this..."

Her eyes wide, still trying to register what had happened, since it had all happened so fast, she looked from the mutant corpse to the man, and back again.

The man kept his eyes off her, and glued to a spot in the distance, "Anyway, if you think you're quite done trying to get yourself killed, I'll be on my way."

"Why can't I go with you? It's not like I have anywhere else to be...or anyone else to be with.", she asked tentatively, momentarily setting her shock aside. Some things were more important, like figuring out how to get off this planet.

The man let out a scoff, "I'm on a mission. There's no way I can have a silly little girl tag along, you'll just slow me down.", he bit out, cutting into her with each word.

She wanted to hit him, she wanted to lash out, yet, he _had _just saved her life. He was perhaps the only person she could trust in this awful place. He turned away, leaving her to stare at his retreating back for a few moments. Serena finally broke, she had had enough of this awful place, she just wanted to feel safe for a little while, and like it or not, safe was with him.

"Please! I have nowhere to go, please...", she whimpered, falling to her knees in the cold mud.

He turned around, and rushed to her quickly; slightly horrified that she had started to cry. He offered her a hand, "For now."

The first true grin she had ever given anybody spread upon her lips, "Thank you", she whispered as she gratefully took his hand.

They resumed their walk, him slightly ahead of her, headed towards wherever the man had been off to in the first place, before he had paused in order to save her life. Serena paused for a moment, "So, what's your name?".

He turned around once more, setting his cold gaze upon her, "Darien."

XXX

Please review.


	3. Daggers and Death

I'm SO sorry about the delay, I honestly am. I'll try and keep it rolling at a steadier pace from now on. Thanks to all those who reviewed and to those who have been following this story.

XXX

Serena stared into the crackling fire Darien had started. He had abruptly decided that they should set up camp for the night. To her dismay, Darien didn't seem to have any sort of home; she guessed he lived on the land. She had quite hoped to be spending the night in a bed. However, she hadn't broached the subject, Serena had remained mute ever since Darien had agreed to take her with him. She watched as the flames licked at the firewood, her gaze never shifting, her mouth never opening. Serena knew Darien was staring at her, yet she still couldn't face him. As fortunate as his presence had been, she still found his existence greatly perturbing. This man, _this very man_, had been in her dreams. How in the world could she ever explain that? Serena didn't dare tell him about it, he would think her to be crazy.

_Well, what's one more person?, _she thought bitterly to herself.

Her stomach growled, aching somewhat painfully. She realised that she hadn't eaten anything since waking from cryo. As if reading her thoughts, Darien nudged her and offered her some of the food he had procured from a nearby stream. Serena took it, nodding her thanks, and stared at what he had given her. It wasn't anything she was familiar with. The body of the small creature was long and scaly, yet smooth to the touch. In truth, it didn't seem quite appetizing to the silver haired girl, especially with its small, round, lifeless eyes staring at her.

She heard Darien chuckle, "Not a fan of seafood?"

Serena raised an eyebrow and shrugged, "I wouldn't know. I've never seen anything like this before..."

Darien seemed surprised by this, his cobalt eyes widening imperceptibly, "They don't have fish on...wherever you're from?"

A grimace set itself upon Serena's pink lips, "On Vicken23? No. No _fish_."

He scoffed at the tone of disgust she had used concerning it, "Well, you don't have to eat it you know."

She snorted softly, "Are you joking? I haven't eaten in nearly seventeen days. I'd eat dirt if it was all you had to offer."

His eyebrows knit together, "You haven't eaten in over two weeks?", she nodded, "And you're still alive? Are you human?"

She let a small laugh escape through her lips, and noted with relief that she still knew how, "Definitely human. I've been in cryostasis for the past sixteen days. I haven't had the need to eat.", she explained.

Darien gave her a perplexed look , "Cryo?"

"Oh...I suppose Earth isn't quite _there_ yet, is it? Well, ", she scrunched up her nose in distaste, "Cryo is a process in which extreme cold is used to put a human in stasis, in other words, all bodily functions are suspended. I was pretty much frozen for about two weeks. It's a horrible experience, trust me.". Serena shook her head as if it would ward off any unwanted memories.

Darien tried to veil the surprise which had etched itself upon his handsome features, "Right, I see."

Serena laughed softly and took a small bite of the fish. Darien noted that the tinkling sound wasn't all that unpleasant. She finished chewing and swallowed, her features twisting in distaste. Serena quickly masked it, "No you don't."

He scowled, not liking the fact that this strange girl seemed to be undermining his intelligence. It was then that Darien noted just _how _strange this Serena person really was. He had never seen hair of that particular color. Before he had gotten the chance to really look at her, he had thought it to be grey. However, it was impossible to miss the way each strand shone down her back in the moonlight. Also absorbing his attention were her eyes. They too were quite unique. Neither blue nor grey, they seemed more like ice than anything else. She was beautiful, that was for certain. She looked like a princess, his very own ice princess. Of course, her clothing was certainly not something a princess would ever consider putting on. Darien had noted her strange clothing almost immediately. The materials were similar to his own, but there was just _something_ that seemed off about them. Moreover, he had never seen a young woman wear pants before.

Unbeknownst to the man, Serena was scrutinising him just as thoroughly as he was her. She had noted immediately that her dream hadn't done his looks justice. His eyes and hair were as dark as the night sky, and she longed to run a hand through his soft looking locks. His features, for all she knew, could have been chiselled by the gods themselves. His delicate, high cheekbones were balanced by the masculine squaring of his jaw. His skin was lightly tanned due to the fact that he was most likely continuously outdoors. Serena idly wondered if he was a farmer or something of the like. Although, and to this she stifled a girlish giggle, he looked a lot more like a prince than a peasant. Serena noted his garments with a tad of concern. He wore linen pants with a cotton shirt. Over the shirt was a tunic which looked to be quite thick. His outfit was very reminiscent of some that she had laid her eyes upon when studying Earth's history. More precisely, the medieval period.

She bit her lip out of nervousness. Just _how far_ had Earth reverted after the nuclear crisis? Was all of the technology lost?

This lead Serena to an even more troubling thought; if technology had reverted back to medieval times, where in the world would she find a ship capable of bringing her home?

Serena swallowed hard as a chill ran up her spine. Darien noticed how fear suddenly etched itself onto her features.

"Are you okay?"

Serena uprooted her gaze from the fire and locked it onto Darien's somewhat concerned expression. She couldn't lie away her feelings anymore, not in this sort of situation. "No.", she shrugged, "I don't think I am."

Darien shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to having company, and he had never been one to discuss feelings. Yet, he felt the inexplicable urge to _know_ this girl.

He cleared his throat, "I've never been one to beat around the bush, so I'm just going to come right out and ask. How the hell did you get here?"

Serena put down her food, gave him a grim smile ,and , although hesitant at first, launched into her inexplicable horror story.

Darien remained silent, not willing to interrupt her as she spoke of dreams, tattoos, yellow eyes, and crashes. Serena was careful to leave out the dream she had had of them kissing, it wouldn't be wise to scare off the only person she was able to trust at that moment.

Once she had finished, her tale ending at the point where he had agreed to let her stay with him, she waited, waited for him to say something, _anything_.

Instead of speaking, he simply looked at her. His gaze trailed down her body to finally settle on her ankle, "Can I see it?", he asked, his voice barely audible.

Serena took a shaky breath and dropped her hands down to the hem of her jeans. She hated acknowledging the fact that the thorns where even _there_, but she felt like Darien should see them.

Slowly, she rolled the material up, exposing the intricate drawing that had laid itself into her skin a few nights ago.

Serena heard him suck in a breath, "And this just...appeared?"

She shook her head, "Appeared would be putting it mildly. It was painful, so very painful. I felt it burning, cutting into my skin..."

Darien didn't comment, he was transfixed by the tattoo. Serena held her breath as he inched his way closer, crouching down until she could practically feel his breath on her ankle. He reached out a finger and stroked her skin. Serena immediately flinched, startled by the sudden contact.

Darien seemed to snap out of it, and cleared his throat, "Sorry"

Serena stared at him, her breathing slightly accelerated, "It's alright"

An awkward silence washed over the pair as they sat at opposite ends of the fire, staring at anything but each other. After a few minutes, Serena decided to break the silence. The forest they were in seemed just a little _too_ quiet. She found it very unsettling.

"So, I've spilled my guts. What about you? Why are you out here?"

Darien chuckled, "I'm on a quest."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "A quest?", she repeated.

Darien nodded, "Those _things _that attacked you, the mutants. They don't simply roam free. They live to serve their leader."

"The witch.", Serena breathed.

"Yes. Only, to everyone else, she is known as a princess, Princess Beryl to be exact. The rest of the humans don't see her for what she really is; a vile wretch. I'm going to stop her."

"How?"

Darien looked into the flames, as if all the answers lay within them, "I just will. I have to."

Serena's mind was working on overdrive. _The witch_, her dream had to be connected, "Darien, I think I'm supposed to help you!" ,he gave her a confused look, "My _dream_! I was running from the witch...it can't be a coincidence.", she looked him straight in the eyes, "The crash...I think it was meant to be. I think I was meant to end up here."

_I think I was meant to be with you, _ Serena thought to herself, recalling her second dream.

Suddenly, Darien bolted from his seat, an angry look on his face, "You will do no such thing. I've already endangered your life by letting you stay with me. There is no chance in hell that I'm letting you face the witch."

Serena stood as well, the volume of her voice every bit as elevated as his own, "But its fate! It _has _to be!"

"There's no such thing as _fate", _he snarled, "Do you think it was fate which doomed Earth? Which put its surviving people in the hands of a wicked monster?"Serena had no reply to this.

He started stalking away, "There's a small village not too far away. We'll be heading there in the morning, you'll be able to find some help."

With those final words, he laid down on the ground, upon the mass of blankets he had laid out as a makeshift bed, and went to sleep.

Serena was completely infuriated by him. How could he not see the big picture? It all seemed so clear to her. She fell to the ground upon her own spot, and tried to make herself comfortable. Although the hard ground and irritating grass made the task more than a little difficult, she eventually found herself drifting off into the unconscious.

XXX

_She was done for, she felt it in her bones. She stared into the woman's cruel eyes, and saw nothing but the purest of evils. Clutched inside one of the woman's hands was a dagger. It was ornate, and quite beautiful, but she knew it was going to be the instrument of her demise. Muffled words echoed around her, and in one last effort, she whirled around and tried to run away. Leave all this death behind her. Yet, fate would not be so kind. She felt the agonizing pain of the cold steel embedding itself into her back. The world went blank. _

XXX

Darien was woken by the sounds of screams. In his sleepy haze, he sluggishly moved from his spot and to his mysterious companion's side. He found Serena rolling upon the ground, writhing in agony. Tears spilled down from her tightly shut eyes as she whimpered and screamed.

"Serena!", he yelled, trying to catch her attention.

He threw himself onto the ground next to her, grabbing a hold of her shoulders in an attempt to steady her. Her eyes snapped open, but the tears did not stop falling, and she could not seem to silence herself. Acting on impulse, Darien latched his arms around her and drew her in to his tight embrace. He gently rocked her back and forth in hopes of soothing her.

Eventually, the sobs subsided. Serena gently pushed herself out of his arms. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wild.

Darien spoke gently, "What happened?"

"I had a nightmare...and then there was pain...so much pain. Just like my other dream."

Darien swallowed hard, "Where did it hurt?"

A tear slid down Serena's cheek, "My back"

Darien turned her around and put his hands at the bottom of her shirt, "May I?"

She nodded numbly, and he carefully brought her shirt up until her back was exposed. Serena heard him suck in a sharp breath, "What is it?", she demanded.

"A dagger, in the centre of your back. Its drawn just like the thorns on your ankle. But...", Serena felt him swipe a couple of fingers across her spine. When he showed them to her, they were coated in crimson liquid, "You're bleeding."

XXX

Serena had remained restless for the remainder of the night. Every time she felt herself nodding off, she would catch herself. Her fear for what lay within her dreams was enough to overpower her desperate need to sleep. She had noticed some time after the initial shock had subsided that Darien had moved himself closer to her. It had brought a small sense of comfort that she could hear the man lightly snoring just a few inches away.

They had set out towards the village Darien had mentioned just before sunrise. Serena had been walking for close to three hours now and she could almost hear her legs shouting in protest over the abuse. She definitely wasn't the outdoorsy type, Vicken23 had no wilderness to speak of. Nothing but shiny buildings and shiny highways; trees would be insulted by the environment.

Her eyes bore into Darien's back. He had barely spoken one word since she had awoken with the dagger on her back. Serena tried to fight back the tears which automatically came with the memories. The words "_why me" _came to mind when she thought of her situation, but she pushed them away. She wouldn't be a coward.

Serena couldn't begin to fathom what Darien must have thought of her. His silence certainly wasn't a good sign.

She let out a long sigh, "You can say it you know."

Darien continued his walk but after a moment replied, "Say what?"

Serena rolled her eyes, "That you think I'm nuts. That I scare you. That you wish you had never gotten stuck with me."

He snorted, "You're right. I have no idea what your deal is. However, I'm not stuck with you. We're here."

She barely had time to register hurt when she saw a large wooden gate looming over them.

"Welcome to Perethina."

Serena surveyed her whereabouts. The wooden gate was an enclosure that seemed to wrap around the small village. Over the top, she could make out shabby rooftops.

"So, how do we get in?", she asked the dark haired man.

He smirked and knocked at a certain spot in the gate. After a few seconds, it swung open revealing a main street which was clogged with a surprisingly abundant amount of people.

"Knocking, right.", she muttered to herself.

Street vendors with wooden karts filled with shoddy items lined the streets and called out to the shabby looking clientele. Clearly, Perethina's economy left some to be desired. Along with the vendors, beggars too called out to the villagers in hopes of securing a few coins.

The whole scene made Serena's stomach give a nervous flip. She certainly wasn't used to this.

She quickened her pace to keep up with Darien who was now speeding down the roadway, "Where are we even going? Are you planning on leaving me in the street?", she demanded.

"I know a guy."

She scowled, "Oh well _that's _reassuring."

He ignored her sarcasm and grabbed onto her hand, pulling her into an empty alley. Darien pushed her against the wall, her wrist still clutched within his fist, "Listen,", he hissed, "I don't owe you anything. I _could_ just leave you in the street."

Serena panted heavily as she tried to wrench her arm out of his grip. She hadn't quite anticipated this sudden outburst.

His grip tightened and she whimpered slightly, "But I'm not. I'm going to bring you to a friend's and he will then take over my arduous task."

Serena's eyes narrowed, "Arduous task?"

He rolled his eyes, "Getting attacked by mutants, having weird dreams that make you _bleed_; you certainly aren't easy to keep an eye on."

She gave him a defiant look, "I didn't ask you to keep an eye on me."

Darien scoffed, "Yes you did! You begged me to take you along."

Her cheeks burnt red with anger and she looked away from him. With a sense of relief, she felt him release her.

As Serena rubbed her aching arm, he grabbed something from a nearby clothes line and tossed it to her.

Upon examination, Serena found that it was a slip of some sort, in a light blue color.

"You need to change your clothes.", he looked her over, "Yours are too bizarre, people will figure out that you aren't from here."

She gave him a questioning look, and he explained, "People here don't like outsiders.", he pointed to what she was holding, "Now put that on."

"This? I can't _wear _this! It's so _short_! What will people think?", she held up the tiny garment with an air of distaste.

Darien scoffed, "Trust me, whether or not people think you're a slut is the least of your problems."

He backed her into a corner and then turned away, "I'll shield you."

Serena's cheeks flushed. She couldn't believe that this was happening, that she was putting on some inexistent dress in a dingy alley with nothing to shield her from prying eyes but a man she barely knew.

Pushing her dignity aside, she did as she was told and changed as quickly as she could, "Alright, I'm done", she said shyly.

Darien turned around and Serena felt uncomfortable under his gaze. He seemed oddly transfixed by her and Serena couldn't help but wonder if he liked how she looked. She mentally berated herself for thinking such things, this man was obviously a jerk and she shouldn't have cared what he thought.

Serena cleared her throat, "So, who exactly is this friend of yours? And how is he supposed to help me?"

Darien quickly shifted his gaze off of her, "Avery's a traveller like me, but I know for a fact he's spending some time in Perethina at the moment. He has contacts, lots of them. If there's anyone who can get you off this rock and back on your way to your homeworld, it's him."

Hope swelled inside of her, "Really?", she asked, her tone whimsical.

Darien nodded his head, "Really."

XXX

At the centre of the village stood a building that was slightly larger than the rest. Above the front door hung a sign which, although the letters were quite rubbed out, read "_Perethina Inn"_.

Darien led Serena through the entrance and up a few flights of rickety stairs.

The entire inn, much like the rest of the town, seemed as if it were falling apart around her. The paint on the walls was peeling off, the carpets were stained, and the building smelled of an odour Serena couldn't , nor wanted to, place.

Darien stopped at one of the doors, and seemed immediately concerned by the fact that it was ajar. He motioned for Serena to get behind him. She scowled but didn't argue, there would be other times for her to be less of a coward.

Looking over his shoulder, Serena saw that the room had been turned upside down. The sheets had been torn off the bed, furniture was overturned, and objects lay scattered all over the place.

Serena followed Darien's gaze towards the floor. She gasped. Twisted in the dirty bed sheets was a broken and bloodied body.

Serena swallowed hard, "Avery I presume?"


	4. Articulate Foliage

Disclaimer: Trust me, if I owned Sailor Moon, Darien would not have ended up with Serena. He would have fallen in love with the lesser known Sailor Dreams-a-Lot...aka, me.

Authors Note: Sorry about the delay, I bought a new laptop a few days ago (I am now a very proud mac owner!) and its taken me a while to get all my files switched over and sorted out haha. In this chapter I'll be getting into some core plot, hope you enjoy!

XXX

Serena sat quietly in the chair Darien had pushed her into, and tried to keep her eyes averted from the man who lay in a bloody heap just a few feet away. She also tried to ignore the moody young man who, upon thrusting her in her newly acquired position, began to, much to Serena's annoyance, frantically pace the room. She couldn't lie, although she felt guilty that it was at the expense of a deceased person, it amused her that the usually calm and collected Darien was now having a panic attack right before her eyes.

Not so pleasant, however, was the fact that every so often she could hear mutterings that sounded an awful lot like, "stuck with the wench."

Fighting all instinct, Serena bit her tongue. He had just lost somebody who had clearly been a friend; she would chalk up his insults to grief.

She snorted quietly, _Right, because he's been just ever so nice since you've gotten stranded on this rock._

Serena honestly couldn't figure out his attitude towards her. In fact, she had thought that they were starting to get along, that they had bonded by the fire last night. She knew that she was partly at fault for their strained relationship, having been on the throwing end of hostility herself. Yet, she couldn't help but feel as if she had been provoked.

She looked to the man who had so quickly become her only lifeline. She sighed, there would be time to figure him out later. A quick glance to the bed acknowledged what Darien already knew, he was stuck with her.

Feeling as if someone were watching him, Darien quit his uncharacteristic pacing and looked to the silver haired beauty. She shuffled uncomfortably under his gaze and he sighed, "It looks like you'll be joining me on my quest.", Serena chuckled at his choice of words, and his eyes narrowed, "I don't want you to help, I don't even expect you to be useful, but if you do _anything _to hinder my efforts, I will not hesitate to abandon you without looking back. Understand?"

Serena stared back at him with just as much intensity and hostility. Begrudgingly, she accepted the fact that she had no choice but to comply, and nodded her acquiescence.

XXX

"So where exactly are we going?", Serena finally mustered the nerve to ask. They had been walking in the woods for what seemed like hours, and Darien had not uttered one word to the silver haired girl.

Serena could have sworn he rolled his cobalt eyes skywards, but chose to ignore the rude gesture, "We're going to see the prophet", he explained.

She arched an eyebrow, "The prophet?"

He nodded, and Serena, in vain, attempted to swallow her laughter.

Darien narrowed his eyes, "Does this amuse you somehow?"

Serena shook her head with a slight giggle, "Its just kind of funny. I'm on a quest, on my way to find a prophet. I seemed to have stumbled onto my very own Narnia."

"Narnia?"

"Its a fictional place from a book that was published on earth a few hundred years ago. It was quite popular.", she explained with the smugness she always displayed when demonstrating her knowledge.

Darien raised his eyebrows questioningly, "And you know this because..?", he trailed off, waiting for an explanation.

"I've always had a love for history, Earth's history in particular."

He snorted, "Yet you didn't know what fish were."

Serena scowled, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

Darien started to laugh, but was abruptly cut off when Serena collapsed on the ground, howling in pain.

She felt as if certain parts of her were on fire, a burning sensation only comparable to the few occasions when the mysterious tattoos had laid themselves into her porcelain skin.

Darien was at her side in an instant, "What's wrong?"

"Pain", she gasped out.

"Your back?", she nodded and he stretched down the back of her dress.

The dagger was glowing red, and a quick look to her ankle revealed that the thorns were in the same condition.

Darien swallowed hard, not knowing how to comfort the young woman, who was clearly in agonizing pain. He settled for wrapping his arms around her, much as he had the night before.

Eventually the pain ebbed away into slight discomfort, much to the pair's relief.

Serena noticed that Darien had not let her go, she looked up at him, her eyes still shining at the brims with tears, "I'm sorry", she whispered.

She saw something flicker in his gaze, yet it was gone so quickly that she thought she may have hallucinated; for a moment she thought she had seen tenderness.

Darien cleared his throat, "Its alright.", he let her out of his embrace.

They continued along their walk, the usual silence that accompanied them ever present. It was another few kilometers before either of them spoke. When the silence was broken, it was by Serena.

"Out of simple curiosity, are we nearing the place where this prophet of yours resides?", she asked tentatively, as she pushed aside branches and tried to sidestep the mud.

They were now in a very dense part of the woods, Serena could barely see through all of the foliage.

"If I remember correctly, he should be right...here.", he came to a stop in front of a very robust tree that seemed oddly separated from the others.

Serena scanned the area, looking for some sign of life, "He lives in the tree?"

Darien smirked, "I supposed you could say that."

Before Serena had the chance to ask him what he was talking about, the ground began to tremble, and the only sound which could be heard was the rustling of leaves.

A few meters up the tall tree, the trunk began to carve itself until a face was clearly discernible among the thick bark.

Serena's eyes were wide with shock, as the reality of the situation dawned on her.

The mouth moved, "Who goes there?", a deep voice boomed.

The young woman's jaw fell to the floor, "No way", she mouthed.

Darien didn't seem the slightest bit affected by what had just transpired before him.

"My name is Darien. I've come to you in hopes that you have knowledge I could use in order to eliminate the witch.", he spoke loudly, confidence lacing his every word.

The tree seemed to laugh, the sound reverberating through the surrounding woods, "And who are you to be asking for such information?"

"The one who will destroy her.", he retorted with a conviction Serena had seldom heard before.

The tree seemed to consider his statement, "If you are sure. I do indeed have a prophecy for you, one that has been whispered by the wind for quite some time."

"I would like to hear it please", he asked.

The tree's leaves bristled, "_Under the seventh moon/ The Evil One shall come into her ultimate hour/ The sky will burn with 1000 lights/ Earth shall once more plummet from grace/ Damned shall be the children of Terra/ However, should the Moon Maiden return and fight, the Evil One shall be forced back into the hellfire from whence she once sprouted."_

Darien's brow creased, "The Moon Maiden?"

"She is the moon's child, her favorite. You must find her, or only failure awaits you."

"How can I find her?"

The tree chuckled, once again sending vibrations through the soil, "This I cannot say."

As Darien lost himself in thought, Serena continued to stare up at the prophet in wonder. It's bulbous eyes connected with her bewildered gaze.

"Curious, very curious indeed.", the tree uttered.

Serena stuttered, "Excuse me?"

"You appear to have no connection to this world, yet the witch has marked you."

She was taken aback, "Marked me?"

"Am I wrong?", the tree inquired in a tone of voice that suggested he really had no doubt in his earlier affirmation.

Serena's thoughts made a beeline to the etchings on her skin, "Yes, I suppose she has."

This small exchange shook Darien from his thoughts, "Why would Beryl do such a thing?"

" Who knows? Certainly not I.", the tree chuckled, as if this were all some fascinating game for it, "However, I propose that you cease your machoism, and let the young lady help you in your task, as she has so generously offered in recent past."

Darien seemed as if he were about to protest, but the face of the tree rapidly sank back into the trunk, melding itself seamlessly with the rest of the bark. No clearer way could be thought of to convey the words "_end of conversation_".

Darien turned towards his fair companion, on whom a smug grin was spreading across her lips.

"See!", she bubbled, "I told you I was supposed to help!"

Darien rolled his eyes, "I don't see what you could possibly have to contribute."

Serena narrowed her icy glare, "I'm sure there's _something._ The talking tree said so!"

"Right, and do you normally listen to articulate foliage?"

Serena clicked her tongue, "You're in no position to mock me Darien, _you're_ the one who brought us here in the first place."

With a final, and although he would never admit it, defeated, scowl Darien turned on his heel, "Its going to be dark soon, we should set up camp."

XXX

Unfortunately, along with the darkness had come the rain. Serena sat huddled under a tight grouping of trees, trying to shield herself from the pelting downpoor.

Darien had left her some time ago in order to find something that they could feed themselves with. She hoped he didn't return with that god awful _fish_.

Serena was glad for the time alone, it gave her time to think, which she couldn't seem to do when he was around.

She had known it from the second The Marsden had crash landed; her life was forever changed. There was no going back, there was no forgetting.

Serena couldn't lie to herself, she had never been normal. _Hell_, she thought, even her appearance wasn't normal. Things had always happened to the young beauty, inexplicable _things _which had all stemmed at that fateful night back when she was five years old; the roof incident.

She had tried to push it all to the back of her mind, to cover it all up with rationality and common sense. However, there was no logic known to the silver haired girl strong enough to back up the fact that she had gotten shipwrecked on a condemned planet, inexplicably marked by a witch who should not have even been aware of her existence, and met a man she had first seen in a dream.

The last thought plagued her mind. If that dream had been telling of her future, would the other dreams come to pass as well? Furthermore, she thought with a blush, would that exact moment with Darien pan out?Thinking on how they had been behaving towards each other, Serena found it hard to believe that they could ever share more than verbal sparring.

Right on cue, the man in question strode gracefully through two trees on her left, seemingly unaffected by the fact that he was completely soaked through. Serena couldn't abstain from swallowing hard at the sight of his linen shirt clinging to his muscular chest, leaving very little to wonder about.

Upon spotting her, his familiar scowl returned, "What is wrong with you? Don't you have any idea how dangerous it is to sit under a _tree _during a storm?"

She arched an eyebrow, "Look around Darien, where am I supposed to stand in order to _not _be under a tree."

He rolled his eyes and decided to drop the subject.

Serena was tired of their constant bickering, it made their time together seem like a punishment, and not like the partnership it needed to be. She decided to try a different approach.

"Come sit by me", she said, patting the spot next to her.

He looked at her oddly, "And join you under the lightening rod?"

She tried to maintain her sweet smile, "Please just do it."

With an air of reluctance, Darien took a seat on the ground next to Serena.

Hesitantly, Serena broached the subject she knew he had no desire to discuss with her, "So, what's our next step?"

His eyes narrowed, "Our?"

"Well, I haven't exactly figured out how to help you yet. I'm not very strong, and I don't have any fighting skills, but I am smart, very smart in fact.", she rambled on.

Darien let out an aggravated sigh, "Serena, we've been through this. You won't be helping me.", she opened her mouth to reply but was cut short, "And I don't care what the prophet told you."

To her horror, she felt the tears spring to her eyes before she could stop them, she stood up abruptly, intent on hiding her sudden outburst from him, but as she stood, so did he. Darien grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

Serena looked at him expectantly, but he didn't seem to know what to say to her now that he had kept her from running off. Serena decided that she would speak.

"You know, I really don't understand you", she was surprised at how angry she sounded, " Why won't you let me help you? And don't tell me I'm useless, because I'm not!", she hissed.

Darien looked at her, his expression utterly dumbfounded, his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"You know what? I _know_, you seem to have dedicated yourself to the task of hating me. You don't want my help, because the thought of be stuck with me for the next few days, few _weeks_, disgusts you.", her voice was coming out in chocked sobs now, and her tears mixed in with the pouring rain, cascading down her found herself not caring.

Darien continued to stare at her, not quite knowing where her outburst was coming from. Serena spun on her heel once again, wanting nothing more than to remove herself from the situation.

Darien grabbed her wrist once again, and Serena gave him a look of utter contempt, "What?", she demanded.

The man stared at her straight in the eyes, cobalt clashed with ice blue, his gaze was softer than she had expected him capable of.

He spoke, his voice barely audible among the storm, "I don't hate you."

His words brought on an inexplicable new wave of tears, "Yes you do", Serena said forcefully, with as much conviction as she could manage.

"No", he said louder now, "I don't"

To Serena's surprise, Darien brought up a thumb and wiped away a few tears that were making their way down her reddened cheeks.

A single thought shot through the silver haired girl's mind, _He's going to kiss me._

XXX

I take all this time to update, and I leave you on a cliffie! Don't you just hate me? Haha, please review.


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